Month: March 2017

While the 2016 Presidential Campaign was a very divisive and negative one, going forward, we commit to civil discourse, whether we agree with our neighbor or not. This means we will listen with respect, but not that we will keep silent in the face of injustice. As followers of Jesus ourselves (see names below)—and with a fervent hope that other faith communities, secular groups, etc. might use this as a model—we feel led by God’s Spirit to call upon congregations and other assemblies to make the following public commitments in their communities:

1. We will protect and support the worth and rights of all people, including marginalized persons who are targeted, discriminated against or singled out by hate crimes or state- sponsored/ sanctioned violence;
2. We will oppose the aspirations of those who seek U.S. global domination through the use of propaganda, inciting terror, military threats, regime change and war. We will support instead the practices of diplomacy and negotiation, which lead to peace.
3. We will support a just economic order—one that is sustainable as a servant of the people amid the changes in climate that have already begun.
4. To keep these promises, we will reach across lines of creed, class, ethnicity, race and party preference in a spirit of empathy and learning, seeking relationships of solidarity with other groups. We will listen to our neighbors with respect.

We are grateful for the work of all of those who came together to develop this much needed call. And we take seriously how it has been offered to us as a model for congregations throughout this country to adapt for their own ministry and mission. Respecting the values and traditions of our own congregation, we will implement this document with these understandings as we join the Public Call to Protect all People.

*In addition to protecting all people, we are committed to extending protection to the Community of Creation; to the water, the air, the earth, the animals, and all of God’s creation.

*Among the marginalized persons who have been targeted in the campaign and in these initial days of the new Administration, attacks on refugees and immigrants have been particularly forceful. We are also aware that Black, Brown, Muslim, and Jewish people, as well as others, are also under attack. We believe now is the time for our and all congregations to stand with these particularly vulnerable people.

*In moving forward with this document our congregation will continue to highlight our commitment to non-violent resistance to the injustice we see.

*We are committed to maintaining our commitment to supporting and protecting the members of the LGBTQ+ community.